Monday, December 29, 2008

Christmas Present

Our tree for Christmas 2008 ~


We brought the tree into the house a few days before Christmas. The next day I strung the lights, and the following day Ken and I hung our favorite ornaments. Later, our son T added his favorites. When I told my daughter about the stages, she said oh, it's a progressive tree.

Our family has always waited until just days before Christmas to decorate a tree. Since I rearrange rooms from year to year, the tree doesn't always sit in the same place. In our old house, the addition of a tree to our living space always required that furniture be moved and space be made. We enjoy the tree until after New Year's.

Decorating the tree used to be a family event. My children each have a collection of ornaments that started when they were babies. We also have family ornaments that Ken and I have collected since we started dating. It was fun to remember where they came from and joke about the different ways we've decorated trees over the years. In recent years we would wait for children to get home from college to decorate the tree.

That was Christmas Past. Now Ken and I decorate the tree when we are ready. Schedules are different and subject to change, so our children can choose to add ornaments when they get home.

Progressive tree decorating is symbolic of Christmas Present. Our family with grown children celebrates with new traditions. Gone are the days of Santa and school vacation. Now we shop thoughtfully for each other and relish whatever time we have together.

Like everything else in our family, holiday celebrations are changing. Like everything else in my life, I need to ride out the transition to adapt to something new.

3 comments:

CaShThoMa said...

So true how our Christmas celebrations, including decorating the tree, change as time passes. But, as you said, it's still a precious family time and that's the blessing.

Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful tree! Sharon, I am ashamed to admit this, but we've not been putting up a tree in recent years. I decorate the mantel and deck all the halls, but the tree is too much for us. I have collected ornaments from my days of traveling for the magazine, and love them ... but it's so much work. I do more entertaining now, so I also like to have more room for guests ... Hopefully, when we have grandkids one day, we'll get back to that tradition. Hope you had a wonderful holiday, my good friend in Maine! It's been a delight getting to know you this year!

Janice Lynne Lundy said...

Sharon,
I chuckled at your post. Your tree trimming experience was just like ours. Now that everyone is pretty much out of the nest and grown kids have their own trees to decorate, ours was done nearly alone. Ok, my college-aged daughter (home for Christmas break) did grudgingly hang a few ornaments then moved on to more exciting things like posting on Facebook! Piecemeal decorating was more my style this year and I truly enjoyed being more gentle with myself about it and the holidays in general. Pretty good for me seeing that I am a recovering holiday perfectionist. Glad you were gentle with yourself too!

New Year blessings to you!